“That’s so awesome,” she gushes.
“Ahhh, our little Zandy is going to be a celebrity!” Paige teases.
Zander rolls his eyes. “I’m not a celebrity.”
Michelle grins and says, “Zander, why don’t you go keep your Dad company, hmm? You know how much he enjoys watching football with you.”
Zander looks between the vegetables and his mom and shrugs. “Okay, sure. If you don’t need my help… ”
“Go on. We want some girl time.” Michelle waves a hand at him, and Zander gives me a grin before slipping out of the kitchen, leaving me alone with his sisters and mom.
“Any excuse to watch sports, he takes it,” Lauren chuckles as he leaves.
“I can take over for him,” I offer.
Lauren shakes her head. “You’re more than welcome to just continue hanging out, Rylee. You’re company, and we don’t usually put company to work.”
“No, it’s okay!” I quickly reply, grabbing the knife and pulling the cutting board covered in chopped up celery and carrots that he abandoned closer to me. “I’m happy to help!”
“That’s sweet of you,” Michelle says, beaming at me.
I smile and start to work, chopping up the rest of the carrots Zander didn’t finish.
“So, Rylee,” Lauren says, looking across the island at me. “Zander told us you grew up here in Nashville.”
“Uh, yeah,” I reply. I feel a flutter at the thought that he’s talking about me with his family. “I still live downtown, and my mom is still here too.”
“Oh, nice!” Rosie exclaims. “Are you and your mom close?”
“We are. Really close, actually.”
That seems to please Michelle because she gives me a soft look. “Family is really important to Zander, so I’m glad you have that in common.”
I fight not to visibly wince at her words. Family is important to me… but my family is way more fucked up then this one. Idon’t want them to worry about Zander being part of that, so I don’t say anything about Dad or Aiden.
“It’s really nice seeing him with you all,” I say. “It’s a side of him I haven’t seen yet… and it’s nice.”
All four women smile at me, and I can read the approval in their gazes. I relax as I slice and dice, and the Caldwell women move about the kitchen, chatting and laughing and including me as if I’m one of them.
And it feels… good. Really, really good.
“You know what we need?” Lauren declares, moving to a cabinet beside the fridge. “Some wine.”
She pulls out a bottle and a corkscrew, and Paige gives a cheer.
“Rylee?” Lauren grins at me. “Want a glass?”
I chuckle and nod. “Sure, why not? It’s a holiday, after all.”
At about noon, Zander pops back into the kitchen to find me, his sisters, and his Mom standing around the island, enjoying a glass of wine each as the food cooks away.
“Hey, Rylee, it’s time to head to your mom’s,” he tells me.
“What?” Rosie gasps, her eyes going wide. “You’re leaving?”
“No, no, no,” I assure her. “My Mom likes to eat earlier, so I’m going to go have lunch with her, and then I’ll be back here for dinner.”
“Oh, thank goodness!” Lauren releases a dramatic breath. “Here I thought you were going to ditch us before the husbands and kids showed up… not that I would blame you, escaping the chaos that will inevitably follow.”
